Germany intends to deliver the promised Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine "at the
end of March, beginning
of April", Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on Thursday.
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“
It is planned that we will have the company at the end of March at the beginning of April
” in Ukraine, declared the minister during a visit to the troops of the Bundeswehr in Saxony-Anhalt (east).
The training of Ukrainian soldiers in the handling of light armored Marders will begin "
by the end of January
" in Germany and the training on the Leopards will follow "
a little later
", he added.
New step
After weeks of hesitation, the United States and Germany announced on Wednesday the delivery of heavy tanks to Ukraine, taking a new step in military support for kyiv in the run-up to a possible counter-offensive in the Russian invasion.
Ukraine said it hoped to receive these machines as soon as possible, stressing that “
the key
” would be “
speed and volume
” of deliveries.
Berlin must provide kyiv with 14 Leopard 2 type 2A6 from the stocks of its army, the Bundeswehr, and has decided to allow its Western allies with these German-made tanks to do the same.
Read alsoUkrainian War: why kyiv is asking for Leopard 2 tanks
Poland and Norway have declared themselves ready to deliver Leopard 2s. According to several media, the coalition of countries ready to provide such armored vehicles also includes Denmark and the Netherlands, in addition to Poland and Finland.
Spain has confirmed that it is "willing" to also deliver tanks.
According to the German government, the objective is to constitute, with partner countries, “
two tank battalions equipped with Leopard 2 tanks for Ukraine
”.
This would represent 80 to 90 gear.
Washington, for its part, announced the dispatch of 31 Abrams.
The Kremlin on Thursday denounced the "
direct involvement
" of Westerners in the conflict after the announcement of the delivery of dozens of European and American tanks.